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20120611_human_trafficking_awareness

Human Trafficking Awareness Work Garners Zenith Award

Human trafficking is a great tragedy throughout the world, but this spring, the ORU
Branding and Promotions class tackled the issue head on through their work with Truckers Against Trafficking. Their promotional efforts were rewarded when
Yelena Radchuk received the Zenith Award from the Public Relations Society for Students
Association for her promotional publications.

Before coming to ORU, junior multimedia productions major Yelena Radchuk worked for
the nonprofit organization World Vision, which devotes part of its ministry to stopping
human trafficking in third world countries.

Radchuk said that her Branding and Promotions class was the ideal setting to continue
serving in this humanitarian area.

“Having some knowledge about human-trafficking from working there and the desire to
help others, this was the perfect opportunity to do something that might help save
another life,” said Radchuk, whose enthusiasm led her to design five promotional publications
for TAT.

TAT is a national nonprofit organization based in Broken Arrow, Okla., that is designed
to help truckers learn about trafficking prevention through practical resources, educational
sessions during orientation, and partnership with law enforcement to stop these heinous
crimes.

The students, under the direction of assistant professor Chris Putman, adopted TAT
as their client to assist them with promotion and distribution of human trafficking
educational resources. Putman said she saw excellence in Radchuk and submitted her
work to the PRSSA Zenith award.

“My goal is always to provide students a client they can work passionately for,” said
Putman. “I can only hope they choose to deliver their product with excellence.”

Putman’s students excelled in their activism for TAT by building a promotional package of surveys, press releases, ads and posters and even
designing an awareness presentation night held on the ORU campus.

Putman had her students wear shackles the day of the event to give a visual picture
of modern day slavery.

The ORU students greatly assisted TAT in spreading awareness for their ministry, and
their reward went beyond winning the PRSSA award. Putman said because her Branding
and Promotions class produced such quality results with TAT, they laid a strong foundation
for their future careers.

“We didn’t just study terms from a text and take a test over the material, but we lived
it; we produced it,” said Putman. “Because they have walked it out, they get it and
can speak from experience in a job interview.”

Having worked especially hard on the TAT project, Radchuk said the class ministered
to her on a personal level.

“Using my creativity to help an organization just inspires me to work harder at improving
my skills,” said Radchuk. “Just like God spoke to Oral Roberts that, ‘their work will
exceed yours,’ I want my work to be Holy Spirit inspired and to reach people in a
way that I could not through my own means.”